Mai put her hand on her head; it felt as if she had received a blow to her skull. She gradually began to recognize some faces around her that were starting to clear up. And she especially noticed that someone had thrown a bucket of water over her head.
"It was Noah's idea!!" shouted Levi.
Noah, bucket in hand, replied, "You can see she's awake now. It's the only thing that worked."
Emily, who was helping Mai dry off with a towel, continued, "Miss Mai, we tried several ways to wake you up, but you couldn't hear our shouts and didn't feel us shaking you. We're sorry, but it was the only way we found to wake you up."
Noah interrupted the two girls. "Okay, now what do we do? There are still some of those Nightmares left, right?"
"Yes, there's still a werewolf probably hiding in the forest," Levi answered.
"Very well! Let's go hunt it then," Noah declared.
Emily stood up. "I'll join you as soon as possible. I still need to go—"
BOOOOOOOOOMMMM
An enormous explosion echoed throughout the entire territory.
Brrrrrrrrr
The entire manor began to shake from the explosion's shockwaves.
"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed Noah.
"Let's go see outside!" Levi suggested.
They ran together toward the first floor, then to the staircase leading to the ground floor. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they stopped before a window overlooking the residence's entrance.
"Don't tell me that's what I think it is," Noah reacted.
An enormous whirlwind of black smoke was appearing in the middle of the courtyard. Growing to four meters in height, the small cyclone of smoke made the tree leaves swirl and tore plants from the garden.
Levi then spotted a shadow standing beside the whirlwind.
He stared at the shadow, which stared back at him. Dressed in his black tuxedo, the shadow gave a small bow.
Pitch Black spread his arms wide like a maestro about to conduct a symphony.
[I come to offer my greetings to the Whitefeathers family,] he announced in a threatening, karmic voice. [As well as my most sincere condolences.]
Noah and Levi left the manor first, nearly getting swept away by the wind created by the smoke whirlwind. Mai, who had already recovered, arrived next, slightly weakened and grabbing the door to avoid falling. Emily hadn't followed them.
Noah pointed his finger at Pitch Black. "So you're the one responsible! You finally show yourself, bastard!"
Pitch Black, slightly annoyed, chose his first target. "It seems necessary to do a little cleaning before we begin."
Pooooouffff
The smoke whirlwind exploded, revealing an enormous silhouette—that of an aberration of nature. It was a forest creature that Noah and Levi recognized at first glance.
Its appearance cast a chill over the courtyard, its appearance so blood-freezing. Disproportionately elongated limbs, emaciated and revealing bleeding bones. Livid, gray skin, and a face resembling the nightmarish fusion between a deer skull and a human. Empty sockets where faint, sickly lights gleamed, twisted and fractured antlers rising from its head, and a gaping jaw lined with sharp, irregular teeth.
"A—A Wendigo?!" exclaimed Noah, who then looked toward Levi and identified by his reaction the person who feared it the most.
At the center of the enormous smoking crater, Samantha dusted off her outfit. The villagers gathered behind her were also unharmed and covered by her pink karmic energy.
"I expected nothing less from the Mandala Shield!! I've finally found someone to test my explosives on," rejoiced the man wearing a black orb around his neck.
"That symbol... Is the Temple of Iblis also involved in this affair?" asked Samantha.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm only here to experiment with the guinea pigs you have behind you."
Samantha became angry at his words and pointed her shield toward her adversary.
"An explosion specialist at the 4th stage—you're Han Ran, an archbishop of the Temple of Iblis."
"The very same," he mocked with a diabolical smile.
"I'm going to eliminate you here and now, then it'll be Pitch Black's turn."
"Ohhh, are you sure you'll have time to do that?"
Han Ran spread his arms, revealing the palms of his hands to Samantha.
In his left palm was tattooed the inscription 花 (flower) and in his right palm 火 (fire). The inscriptions began glowing red, then the next instant, marks resembling flower petals appeared all over the villagers' bodies.
[ Scarlet Blooming ]
"So what do you think of my surprise?" Han Ran continued. "All the people behind you as well as the majority of the village inhabitants are under the influence of my spell!! I only had to touch them or even brush against them to transform them into real human bombs!! I just need to join my hands as if applauding, then BOOM!! Hahahaha, it'll truly be a magnificent spectacle!"
Samantha listened to the diabolical speech without flinching, then took a first step.
"Oi!! What do you think you're doing? One more step and I'll blow the entire village to ash! Even your karmic energy won't be able to do anything—I didn't place bombs this time, they themselves are the bombs!!" threatened Han Ran.
Samantha took a second step.
"You really don't listen to what people tell you. You'll have hundreds of deaths on your conscience, are you ready to accept that?" Han Ran continued.
The air pressure rose around Samantha until it made the ground's surface vibrate. One could glimpse a gleam of anger burning through her helmet's openings.
Then she took a third step.
"I warned you—you asked for it!!!" Han Ran shouted.
CLAP
When Emily entered the room, the Countess was supporting the old man, helping him sit on the bed as he seemed to have been awakened by the explosion.
"Father??" Emily was amazed to finally see her father awaken after more than a week asleep.
He was sitting and looking out the window, moonlight illuminating his face wrinkled by age and tired by years of combat. Nevertheless, when he turned, he displayed a peaceful face full of warmth to his daughter.
Emily ran to his bedside next to her mother, who had sat on a chair and was sadly following the scene.
"Father, are you feeling better?? How do you feel?"
"Mmmh, I feel very well; it's as if I was twenty again."
"I feel relieved. Mother and I were enormously worried," she replied with tears in her eyes. "We were afraid you would never wake up again."
The old Count gently caressed his daughter's head. "No dream could keep me asleep for long since this is where you and your mother are."
"I was going to forget! The situation is serious—we're being attacked, and the enemy has reached our courtyard!"
"We know, my dear," the Countess replied.
Emily stood up and clenched her fist, her gaze filled with determination. "Stay here safely, I'll take care of it!" She ran toward the door, then suddenly stopped to correct herself. "We'll take care of it!"
"Emily!" the Count called as she was opening the door.
He stared at his daughter for a long time before speaking.
...
"Be careful."
...
"Yes, Father."
...
"Don't carry burdens alone."
...
"I'm aware of that."
...
"Don't be hasty. Analyze your enemy, lead the offensive when you find their weaknesses, and be ready to retreat if necessary."
...
"I'll keep your advice close to heart."
...
"Very well. I think you'll be able to manage without my help.
...
Now go."
"Yes!" Emily left without understanding the hidden meaning behind the Count's words.
"Why didn't you tell her directly?" the Countess asked her husband. "It will only make her suffer more."
"No, it'll be alright," the Count assured. "My daughter is strong, much stronger than me. I'm incapable of telling her things to her face, that's why I'm weak.
But for my family, for the people I love, everything I've built and the dreams I've realized… I must show strength one last time."
The Count's body then began glowing like the moon.
"Amelia, I entrust the rest to you." The old Count's body, bathed in light, revealed that of a young man at the height of his strength. A charming smile, long silver hair swaying in the wind, smooth and tender skin, and a gaze piercing like a rapier.
The Countess, moved to see her husband's true face again, couldn't hold back her tears and was unable to respond.
"I'm going now." The illuminated young man stood up and walked toward the window before turning back to his sobbing wife.
"Amelia, I love you."
The Countess reached out to catch the light, but it had already escaped into the dark night.
Pitch Black wasn't the patient type. After summoning the Wendigo through Levi's fear, he was ready to sow carnage on the manor.
But a voice that resonated in his head made him stop dead in his plans.
[I know what you want. There's no need to cause more damage than necessary.]
The Count's voice speaking directly in his thoughts made Pitch Black shiver—a telepathy technique that only those at the stage above him mastered.
This reminded him that he was putting his life at risk. He signaled the Wendigo not to attack and remained silent for a moment.
[Follow me] he then received from the Count.
Pitch Black raised his head and saw a ray of light streak across the sky.
The shadow then gave chase to the light and had no intention of letting it escape.
When Emily left the manor, she first saw Mai trying to stand with difficulty. Then Noah, who was attempting to wake Levi, who had fainted at the sight of the Wendigo.
"This isn't the time to joke around, Levi! Wake up, damn it!!" Noah shouted, shaking Levi.
Emily then looked behind them and discovered the enormous creature they would have to fight.
The beast stared at the children without moving, on its master's orders.
Baaaaaammm
Pitch Black took off from his position, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Emily looked up and realized that Pitch Black was pursuing some sort of shooting star.
"Father?" she realized.
GHHHRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAKK
A distorted and horrific growl exploded the eardrums of those facing the beast. Emily and Noah covered their ears, Mai fell backward from the shock, and Levi woke with a start again before his worst nightmare.
"Shit!" shouted Noah, who had closed his eyes for the moment.
"Watch out!!! It's started moving!" Emily alerted.
The Wendigo had raised its long arm—one could guess at first glance that it was long enough to reach every corner of the courtyard.
VLAAAAAAAN
BOOOOUUUMMM
No one could react to its movement, it was far too fast for its gigantic size. In an instant, the Wendigo's arm had completed a full half-circle, and only the dull sound of a mortal impact against the residence's walls could be heard.
Levi was in shock.
Noah had disappeared from before his eyes without anyone being able to do anything.
When Levi looked to his left, the direction in which the Wendigo had swung its arm, all he could see on the other side of the courtyard was an enormous amount of dust, a completely shattered concrete wall, and an inert body lying at the foot of the wall among the brick debris.
"N-Noah...?" Levi called with a trembling voice.
Emily covered her mouth with her hands from the shock and denial.
Noah wasn't responding.
End of Chapter